[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)] [October 29, 1992] [Pages 2069-2072] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]Remarks to the Community in Macomb County, Michigan October 29, 1992 The President. What a great welcome. Thank you very much. Thank you, Governor Engler. You guys are fired up, and that makes me feel like victory is ours. May I start by singling out my friend Bruce Willis. I'm proud to have this guy at our side here and very grateful. And, of course, if you want to win a race in Michigan, you'd better have Governor John Engler at your side. And may also I salute Congressman Bill Broomfield, who's leaving the Congress, but a great Member of Congress, and I'm very proud of him; thank State Senator Carl; and then say this: Everyplace you go people yell, ``Clean House!'' Clean House. Do your part now. Send John Pappageorge up there, Doug Carl. Of course, I'm grateful to Senator DiNello for being with us today, a man of conviction, that puts conviction ahead of party. Hey listen, may I thank these seven high school bands that are with us today, great! [At this point, there was a disturbance in the audience.] The President. We'll get them. You know, last week--I want to mention the Utah--look at these characters. Kind of sad, isn't it? A little pathetic. Audience members. Boo-o-o! The President. A little pathetic. They feel it slipping away from them. They know it's moving away from them. They know we're going to win the election. I'm delighted to be here. And the decision that people make is going to be a tre- [[Page 2070]] mendous difference, a vast difference on experience, a difference on philosophy, and yes, a difference on character. Character matters. You know, I hate to ruin this beautiful rally, but let me just tell you a little bit about the Arkansas record. Audience members. Boo-o-o! The President. Yes, I'm sorry. I've got to do it. Here's the way they stand after 10 years of Governor Clinton. They are 50th in the quality of environmental concerns. They are 50th in the percentage of adults with a college degree. That's it. They are 50th in per capita spending on criminal justice. They are 49th in per capita spending on police protection. Audience members. Boo-o-o! The President. They are 48th in percentage of adults with a high school diploma. Audience members. Boo-o-o! The President. Forty-eighth in backing up their police and spending on corrections. Audience members. Boo-o-o! The President. Forty-sixth on teachers' salaries; 45th in the overall well-being of children. And Governor Clinton says, ``I want to do for America what I've done for Arkansas.'' No way! You know, Governor Clinton said in the debate that they were number one in job growth. That's true for one year, and during that year he was out of the State 85 percent of the time. For the other 10 years, they were 30 percent of the national average. We cannot let him do that to the United States of America. Governor Clinton says he's the candidate of change. He wants to sock a $150 billion tax increase to the working man, and we're not going to let him do that. He talks about investing, let the Government do it. I want to get small business to create more jobs, not the Government. You remember what it was like before. He wants that trickle-down Government, and we want business to provide jobs in the private sector. You know, Governor Clinton and the Ozone Man, that's the guy that wants to put a 45-mile-per-gallon gas fuel efficiency standard on the auto business. Audience members. Boo-o-o! The President. How would the auto workers like that one? They'd be losing jobs hand over fist. But the last time we tried the kind of change he's talking about, the last time Democrats had the White House and that spendthrift Congress, inflation was 15 percent and interest rates were 21 percent. We are not going to go back to those kind of standards. Change, Governor Clinton and Ozone, they just keep talking about change, change, change. That's all you will have left in your pocket if Governor Clinton becomes President of the United States. That's it. No, the last time we had that kind of inflation rate that Gore and Clinton would take us to, it was up there at there, as I said, inflation 15 percent, interest 20 percent. Now, how would you like that? If we'd stayed at their rate of inflation, milk, which costs, what, $2.70, would be $8.23. That's what would happen. Audience members. Boo-o-o! The President. Bread, 84 cents, would be up about $2.50. We cannot go back to that Clinton-Gore inflation by raising taxes and raising spending. Now, there's been some bad news. There's been some very bad news for Clinton and Gore. It comes out that we are not in a deep recession. We grew 2.7 percent. And these guys are weeping tears. The only way they can win is to tell everybody everything isn't worth a darn. They criticize our country and say we are less than Germany and slightly better than Sri Lanka. My dog Millie knows more about foreign affairs than these two bozos. It's crazy. Let them tear down the country. Let us all build it up by getting this economy moving. No, the economy's beginning to move, and we've got to be sure we keep it moving so every American that's hurting has a job with dignity in the private sector. And my plan does just exactly that: control the growth of spending, keep the lid on those taxes, relieve business from regulation. Let's do something about these crazy lawsuits. Governor Clinton is right in the pocket of the trail lawyers. We ought to put limits on these lawsuits. And it is my view that we ought to care for each other more and sue each other less. We can do it. We're going to get the [[Page 2071]] change done, because the Democrats fouled up the Congress. They can't run a two-bit bank, and they can't run a two-bit post office; so, so many of them are going to get kicked out that we can move this country ahead. Clean House! Clean House! Clean them out! Get rid of them all! Bring more guys in like Bill Broomfield, and get this thing moving. You know, it's small business that creates the jobs. Two-thirds of the new jobs are small business. They need not more regulation. They need relief from regulation, relief from taxation, and relief from lawsuits. On health care, Governor Clinton wants a board, a Government board to set the prices. I want to free up the private market to provide insurance to the poorest of the poor through vouchers; the next tax bracket, to give them a tax break; and to let it be said that the Government can't run health care, the private insurance can. We want to give everybody insurance. Give them vouchers and give them tax credits, and let's get going, and let's keep the quality of health care up. Don't get the Government trying to set prices. We'll be able to get it done this time because we're going to have at least 150 new Members of Congress. The gridlock will be gone. As I look around here one of the main things we've got to do it make our education system--we're going to clean the House, you're right. And I want to bypass the NEA and get the teachers a chance to reform these schools. I want the parents to have the choice and the ability to make that choice, public, private, and religious schools. Give the parents a choice. Very candidly, on another subject, I've got big differences with Governor Clinton on crime. You know, the other day eight people came up to see me in the Oval Office, and they said, ``We are for you.'' They were the Fraternal Order of Police from Little Rock, Arkansas, endorsing me for President of the United States. The answer is to back our police officers. Get the gridlock guys in Congress to give us stronger anticrime legislation, and let's have more sympathy for the victim of crime and a little less for the criminal. Governor Clinton has had about four economic plans, and he's given up on the budget deficit. Let me give you three ideas. How about a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. How about a check-off for taxpayers, say 10 percent of your taxes must go for reducing that deficit. And how about giving me what 43 Governors have, a line-item veto. They can't do it; let the President do it. Here's another one for you: Why not give the Congress back to the people. The President's terms are limited to 8 years. Let's limit the Members of Congress' terms. But I guess the biggest difference of all, the biggest difference of all, relates to character and trust. Let me just say this: You cannot be President if you try to be all things to all people. You cannot say, ``On the one hand I'm for this''; ``but I am'' on the other. You cannot have a lot of ``buts'' in the Oval Office. You've got to look the American people in the eye and call them as you see them. If you make a mistake, you say so. But you don't waffle. We cannot turn the White House into the waffle house. Governor Clinton is on all sides of all issues, and there is a pattern of deception. Let me tell you about the decision to go to war. It was not an easy decision. We were fought by a lot of the media. We were fought by a lot in the Congress. And here's what Governor Clinton said, he said, ``I agreed with the minority,''--that was the Democrat's--``but I guess I would have voted with the majority.'' You cannot be a Commander in Chief and waffle around. That is character. That is character. I heard Governor Clinton raise the character question yesterday. Well, come on in. Let's take it on on character and trust. I see these veterans here. I see these veterans here, and I welcome their support. Let me tell you one difference. I'll be honest with you. I don't think it is right when your brothers are in a prison in Hanoi or kids are being drafted out of the ghetto, to go over and lead, organize demonstrations in a foreign land against your country when it's in war. That's a big difference. That's a big difference. That is a big, big difference. I don't think you have to have served in [[Page 2072]] the service, but I do think it helps if you want to be Commander in Chief, so you can hold your head up and look at these young men and women you have to send into battle. No, the differences are between night and day. Look, if you listen to Governor Clinton and Ozone Man, if you listen to them--you know why I call him Ozone Man? This guy is so far off in the environmental extreme, we'll be up to our neck in owls and out of work for every American. This guy's crazy. He is way out, far out. Far out, man. Hey, listen, do you think he would save General Motors by slapping more regulation on them? Less regulation. Less taxes. Bring that back. But you listen, as I say, if you listen to Governor Clinton and Senator Gore, you'd think that foreign affairs don't matter. Let me tell you something. I take great pride in the fact that the young kids go to bed at night without the same fear of nuclear war that their parents had. That is a major accomplishment. Ancient enemies are talking peace. Democracy is on the move. Imperial communism is dead. Now what I want to do is take that same leadership and, with the help of a new Congress, lift up every family in America and give them a shot at the American dream. So in the final analysis, one of the reasons we're moving is because I think people are focusing now as they get down to the wire on who has the trust and the character to lead. Let me tell you something, let me tell you, Barbara Bush--and I think we've got a great First Lady, as a matter of fact--she and I have tried to uphold the trust. And you know, we're lucky, 12 grandchildren and 5 kids and a good life. But let me tell you something: I want to finish the job I have started. I want to help those young people here today to understand that the American dream is still alive. So as we drive down the wire, the train rolling, I look you in the eye, and I say, I ask for your support. And I ask for your vote, based on character and trust. Let's lead the world to new heights of prosperity for every single American. Don't let them tear it down. God bless America. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Note: The President spoke at 1:42 p.m. in the gymnasium at Macomb Community College. In his remarks, he referred to Douglas Carl and Gilbert J. DiNello, Michigan State senators.